Trinidad police arrest four kidnapping suspects

PORT-OF-SPAIN — The Trinidad and Tobago police have arrested four men suspected of being part of a gang involved in a series of kidnappings and ransom demands in that country over the past eight months.

Ranging in ages 19 to 29, the four were held at the weekend and were expected to be charged yesterday on the basis of further investigation into last week’s kidnapping of Kaleel Mohammed who was later released on the payment of a TT$300,000 ransom (TT$6=US$1).

Along with the arrested four at a house in Tunapuna, the lawmen also recovered approximately TT$200,000 and a quantity of designer clothing worth TT$100,000. The items of clothing were believed to be part of the ransom money paid for Kaleel’s release.

The anti-kidnapping squad of the police force is treating the arrests and the recovery of the money and clothing as a “significant breakthrough” in their intensive efforts to break-up a much feared kidnapping ring that has been targetting business people and members of their family.

There have been approximately 19 kidnapping incidents for the year with two of the victims — a husband and wife — being brutally murdered. Ransom demands and payments in a number of these cases have ranged from TT$300,000 to TT$1 and five million dollars.

Meanwhile, the family of 28-year-old kidnapped victim, Ravi Maharaj, who was abducted last week and for whom a ransom of TT$1 million has been made for his unharmed release, are becoming increasingly anxious for his safety as they have been unable to raise the money demanded by his armed abductors.

Meeting of OECS AGs

BASSETERRE — The Judicial and Legal Reform Project of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will be reviewed at a meeting in St Kitts and Nevis today.

A project of the OECS, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), it is supervised by a joint Steering Committee comprised of Attorneys General of the subregion.

The committee’s meeting today will examine ways of further enhancing the judicial system in the member countries of the OECS.

Today’s meeting follows a two-day meeting at the weekend of the UWI’s Council of Legal Education and a Law Conference of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations (OCCBA).